What Chemicals Companies Can Learn from Better B2B Models

The chemical industry has never lacked expertise. What it has lacked, at times, is speed, clarity, and ease of doing business.

In contrast, buyers in other B2B sectors, like logistics, SaaS, and advanced manufacturing, now expect instant access to information, transparent pricing for standard products, and digital tools that remove friction from everyday transactions.

Industrial chemical procurement teams are no different. They are simply more patient because they have had to be. But as buyer awareness evolves, that patience is beginning to run out.

The changing situation in marketplaces for raw material supply has now been highlighted by research finding that chemical industry buyers are beginning to expect and demand more. The study was conducted by chemical industry consultants at McKinsey&Sons which reported that chemical companies which have embraced digital sales models are consistently outperforming competitors on both margins and customer retention.

The lesson, the consultants claim, is not about copying other industries; it is about being smart enough to use business practices which have been proven to work.

Why Chemical Buying Still Feels Harder Than It Should

Historically, chemical sales have revolved around personal contacts, compliance, and technical rigour. For too long, that focus was justified as it built trust and reliability in raw material supply. But it has also created habits that no longer serve chemical traders or their buyers well. As in a faster-paced chemical industry, too much time and energy is spent on manual quotes for routine products, fragmented documentation, and basic order updates that still require emails or phone calls.

In most other B2B sectors, buyers already separate complexity from routine, allowing simple purchases to be fast and self-service. Complex ones still involve experts but are semi-automated for speed and convenience. Industrial chemical procurement can, and should, work the same way.

Three Lessons Other B2B Sectors Got Right

Other wholesale industries did not digitise for the sake of it, but because it saved time, reduced errors, and protected margins. It also provided unique selling points which made business easier for both themselves and their customers. The McKinsey&Sons report even listed the three key sectors that the chemicals industry should follow as:

1.    Logistics mastered visibility: buyers can track shipments, documents, and delays in real time, without chasing sales teams.

2.    SaaS normalised price transparency: standard products have clear prices, while complex solutions still trigger tailored discussions.

3.   Manufacturing connected internal systems: inventory, quality, and sales data talk to each other, cutting lead times and admin costs.

The development of simpler, automated systems allowed these sectors to stop wasting time on repeat questions and manual work. Instead, leaders in these fields have become freer to apply their know-how to where it gains most value—solving problems, developing new business, leading teams, or making strategic decisions.

For chemical distributors and traders, especially SMEs, the commercial upside for copying other B2B sectors is obvious, with systems which provide faster transactions, clearer information to reduce disputes, and digital reordering to encourage repeat business.

For most chemical industry suppliers, this means taking the effective but unglamorous steps of making specifications, SDS files, and certificates instantly accessible. It also means showing indicative pricing for standard product grades and giving customers the power to auto-reorder so that they don’t have to restart the conversation every time.

Crucially, this does not mean abandoning high-touch sales; it simply means reserving human time for where it actually adds value.

Digital Should Support Expertise, Not Replace It

Chemicals will never be a pure self-checkout business, as regulations, application knowledge, and logistics complexity caused by stricter safety rules demand real specialists. But the intelligent application of digital tools can function as force multipliers, streamlining processes instead of setting up obstacles and click-through checklists.

When routine orders run smoothly, sales teams can focus on developing the long-term relationships where profits are built.

Related articles: Why Chemical Supply Chains Now Matter More Than Price or Electrifying Chemical Products for Sustainability and Profit

According to a 2020 Gartner study, 80 per cent of B2B sales transactions between suppliers and buyers would take place online by 2025. That means that any chemical company operating today which does not have 80% of its turnover conducted online could be missing out.

But the 80% figure is not aimed purely at cutting costs by reducing the size of procurement teams—that is just an added bonus. Instead, the number represents actual customer preferences for smooth online ordering as opposed to human interaction. This can already be widely seen in B2C businesses, whether it is reserving a table in a restaurant, buying a hamburger, or ordering a supermarket delivery.

Could a similar model be used for purchasing 20 tonnes of acetone? Maybe. But the beauty of digitalising sales is that it gives customers the choice. While some people wish to reorder chemical products swiftly and silently, others would rather explore applications with professionals, especially for more complex raw materials.

The Competitive Reality

Chemical buyers already compare suppliers on responsiveness, clarity, and reliability, not just price. Chemical suppliers that make buying easier will quietly win share, even if their chemistry is identical.

That is where online marketplaces like SPOTCHEMI fit into the picture. By reducing friction around sourcing, documentation, and supplier comparison, platforms like this reflect how B2B trade already works elsewhere, just adapted to chemical industry realities.

To do this, chemical companies do not need to reinvent themselves; they simply need to stop pretending they are exempt from the expectations shaping every other B2B market.

SPOTCHEMI is a digital marketplace designed to make chemical trading faster, clearer, and more efficient by connecting buyers with suppliers and simplifying sourcing, comparison, and chemical product discovery.

SPOTCHEMI reduces friction around documentation, specifications, and compliance, saving time on routine transactions. The platform (which sponsors this webpage) supports both quick reordering of standard products and deeper engagement for complex requirements, helping chemical companies trade smoother and smarter.

How the SPOTCHEMI platform works.

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